Propeller for vessels.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH ROBERTSON SHAW, OF ROSSEAU, ONTARIO, CANADA.

PROPELLER FOR VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed July 12,1906. Serial No. 325.922-

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUGH ROBERTSON SHAW, of the village of Rosseau, in the District of Parry Sound, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propellers for Vessels, of which the following is the specification.

My invention relates to improvements in propelling wheels for boats, steamships and other vessels, and the object of the invention is to devise a simple, cheap and durable form of propelling wheels for boats, which will gradually part the water previous to its being acted upon by the wheel, obviate any appreciable disturbance of the water and consequently overcometo a maximum extent any churning or slip of the wheel and leave the water behind such wheel in a mass, thus providing for, an effectual backing, which serves to press the. wheel forward. All these objects are intended to accelerate the speed of the boat to which the wheel is applied as compared to a corresponding sized wheel of the ordinary type.

My invention consists of a propelling wheel having a cylindrical portion to which screw blades are attached or form part of and a forward tapered portion and a rear tapered port-ion all arranged as hereinafter more particularly explained. I

The drawing represents a sectional view showing myimproved wheel in side elevation.

A is the skeg fastened to the keel of the boat and extending rearwardly underneath 1 the counter.

B is the rudder, which is fitted into the skeg and C is the stern post, which is provided with a flange O, whereby it is fastened to the bottom of the counter. Thestern post C has a bearing C intermediate of its length, and is beveled off at C at each side of the front path above and below the bearing to a knife edge, the object being to displace the water with the least resistance.

D is the shaft, which is suitably journaled in the keel at one end and in the bearing C at the opposite end.

is my propelling wheel consisting of the cylindrical portion Ehaving attached to or ing the portion of the thread of a screw of any desired pitch, which may be found most conducive for speed.

E is the tapered'forward portion of the wheel, such portion extending from the cylindrical portion E and reducing gradually to the end of the keel.

t is the tapered rear portion of the propelling wheel.

It will be noticed that the forward tapered portion E has a much longer taper than the rear portion E. The object of the long taper is to gradually part the water as it passes through it without churning it. The object of the more abrupt taper E is to form a backing, so as to allow the water to close together behind it quickly without churning in order to form a resistance against which the wheel may advantageously press in order to propel the boat forward and at the same time prevent churning.

Such a form of wheel as I describe I find in practice accelerates the speed of the boat as compared with the ordinary type of the same size now commonly in use. The wheel does not churn the water and leaves a smooth clean wake behind the boat.

What I claim as my invention is:

The combination with a propelling shaft and stern post in which the rear end of such shaft is journaled provided with a suitable bearing to receive the end and for-med with a knife edge above and below such bearing, of a solid propelling wheel having a central bore fitting the shaft and provided with a conical front portion of comparatively long taper, a short cylindrical intermediate portion having spiral flanges affixed thereto and a conical rear portion of a less length than the intermediate portion, both ends of the propelling wheel tapering down toward points in close proximity to the shaft and affixed thereto, and the bearings at both ends being likewise of substantially the same diameter as the reduced ends of the cone-shaped portions whereby the churning of the water is avoided, as specified.

HUGH ROBERTSON SHAW.

I Witnesses:

W. BOYD, E. McEAQI-IERN. 

